Managing Energy, Not Time

Posted by on October 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment 

By: Tim Walker

The corporate world is facing a human energy crisis. Crushing workloads, a 24/7 economy, and ever-increasing expectations require leaders who skillfully access high energy levels whenever and wherever the work experience demands it. Executives are under constant pressure to perform. Leaders are wired up for non-stop productivity, but are burning out on the critical resource that makes everything happen – their energy. Executives conscientiously set time aside for the things that really matter, but find they are unable to bring their full and best energy to the time that they have.

Most of us rarely give serious consideration to managing our energy. How much more innovative, productive, and engaged could you become by acquiring new skills in energy management?

The performance experts at the Human Performance Institute have determined that achieving sustained high performance requires you to increase your energy capacity in four fundamental areas of your personal and professional life – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Skillful management of energy in all four dimensions will allow you to fully ignite your talent and skill in whatever time you have.

To manage your energy physically, you need to establish proper nutrition and fitness routines. The Institute’s guidelines include eating a balanced meal three times per day, as well as three snacks between meals. Eat light and eat often. Do interval cardio training at least three times per week for 30 minutes. Add in resistance training at least twice a week. And, don’t forget to get a full night’s sleep.

Avoiding survival-based emotions such as anger, fear, and frustration will allow you to realize your emotional energy to its fullest. These negative emotions are triggered during activities where you are not connected to your core values. Opportunity-based emotions such as optimism, gratitude, happiness and a sense of adventure provide a higher quality of energy.

To tap into critical mental energy reserves, try to fully focus on the task at hand. Multitasking, while it may seem ultra-productive, actually divides your energy instead and prevents you from doing your ultimate best.

Managing your energy spiritually requires aligning every activity in both your personal and professional life with a sense of purpose. Your core values, such as providing for your family, offering a much needed service, or giving back to the community, are crucial to this exercise. When you know why you are doing what you are doing, you will perform better and be happier.

Extraordinary performance requires extraordinary investments of energy. Your energy reserves will become depleted over time without the skillful balancing of energy expenditure with energy renewal. To renew your energy throughout the day, take a five to 15-minute recovery break every hour-and-a-half to two hours and completely disengage from what you’re doing.
Stress is not something to be avoided, but rather an opportunity by which new capacities and achievements are made possible. Those things that push you the most in life are invariably the very things that help you grow the most. Put simply, stress exposure is a prerequisite for expanding your limits. Stress exposure is the single most powerful stimulus for growth in your life.

Get into the mindset of an elite athlete in training, but instead of a sports superstar you are working to become a corporate one. The best athletes know effectively managing energy is not a result of willpower or self-discipline, but habit and routine. Consciously work to acquire habits, or rituals, which will help you more skillfully manage your energy. Cultivate specific performance routines during the next two to three months until they become rituals. To increase capacity for performing under pressure, you must train strategically to improve your ability to expend and recover energy more efficiently and effectively.

Filed under Management & Leadership